[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 143 (Wednesday, October 5, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[Congressional Record: October 5, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
CHINESE FORCED LABOR
(Ms. PELOSI asked and was given permission to address the House for 1
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I very sadly rise today to call to the
Members' attention these flowers, which are flowers which have been
smuggled out of a Chinese prison labor camp to the United States for
your attention.
Last night ABC news aired an alarming story about the continued
export of forced labor products into this country from China in
violation of U.S. laws, contrary to claims by the U.S. Government and
the Chinese Government that this is not happening.
At great personal risk, a very courageous prisoner provided this
evidence. His name is Chen Pokong, a young economics professor who is
serving time for his pro-democratic activities in China. He sent a
compelling appeal for help, relating the terrible tale of ill treatment
and slave labor in a world where political prisoners labor 14 hours a
day, are forced to haul stones all day, and make these flowers at
night.
In his letter he says that when inmates to not work fast enough
``Inmates are often brutally beaten until they are blood-stained all
over. Nobody would believe such cruelty and barbarity.''
Mr. Speaker, I call this to our Members' attention. I call upon you
to protect the courageous Chen Pokong and call on our administration to
stop the forced labor products coming into the U.S., and the unfairness
to American workers, as well.
Mr. Speaker, I include for the Record the following letter from Chen
Pokong:
To: United Nations International Human Rights Organization,
Voice of America, Asian Watch.
From: Chen Jingsong, Guangdong, China.
I am CHEN Jingsong, alias CHEN Pokong, formerly teacher,
department of economics, Zhongshan University, Guangzhou. I
was arrested as a ``culprit'' for participating, and leading,
in the pro-democracy movement in Guangdong area in 1989, and
sentenced to 3-year imprisonment on charges of
``counterrevolutionary propaganda and instigation''. In July
1992, upon completing my term, I was released. However, I
continued engaging in political activities--disseminating
ideas of democracy, creating progressive publications and
disseminating them. In August 1993 I was again wanted by the
authorities. I fled to Hong Kong and applied to the Hong Kong
government for political asylum, but to no avail. On
September 1, 1993 I was again arrested in Zhengcheng,
Guangdong. 2 months later I was sent to reeducation through
labor for a duration of 2 years.
To vent their bitter hatred on me, the Guangdong
authorities sent me to a most vicious RTL--Guangdong No. 1
RTL, Quarry 1, Company 9 in Chini Town, Hua County, Guangdong
Province, where I am engaged in long-hours and high-intensity
slave labor.
Reeducation through labor is the darkest part of China's
current political system. Ironically, RTL policy and
regulations worked out by the Chinese government itself have
been altered beyond recognition in their practical
implementation. According to RTL policy and regulations RTL
is lighter than LR (labor reform): inmates get their pays,
have their benefits and holidays, enjoy the right of
correspondence, cultural, recreational and sports activities,
do not labor more than 8 hours daily, can visit their
families on holidays, can be bailed for medical treatment,
etc. In reality, RTL is hell.
Here, we labor over 14 hours daily. In daytime, we
transport stone materials on a wharf and load them in boats.
At night we make handicrafts: artificial flowers. On Sunday,
and holidays we labor as usual (except for 3 days during the
Spring Festival). We labor rain or shine. Inmates are just
tools of labor, by no means ``trainees'', as we are called.
Here, Labor intensity is extremely high. ``Production''
quotas are heavy. Those who fail to complete have their
``points'' reduced (i.e., their RTL duration lengthened). To
complete our quotas, we must often labor overtime, sometimes
even through the night. Without the discreet assistance from
my fellow inmates, I would have to labor almost always
through the night. Inmates who labor slightly slower are
brutally beaten and misused by supervisors and team leaders
(themselves inmates). Inmates are often beaten until they are
blood-stained all over, collapse or lose consciousness
(shortly before I was sent here, one inmate was beaten to
death). Nobody would believe such cruelty and barbarity,
should he not see all this with his own eyes. Though
discreetly taken care of by the company commander, several
times I was beaten by the team leader. I am constantly
exposed to terror.
Living conditions here are harsh. Every meal consists of
coarse rice and rotten vegetable leaves. Hardly can we see
any grease. We have a little bit meat only on major holidays
(Spring Festival, for instance). We make our own daily
arrangements: bedding, clothing, daily necessities, even
medical treatment, which is a great burden for us.
Inmates are seldom given leave when they are injured on the
job or sick, to say nothing of being bailed for medical
treatment. Still, they have to labor. Many inmates, including
myself, their hands and feet squashed by big stones, stained
with blood and pus, have to labor as usual. As a consequence,
many inmates were crippled for life.
There are almost no cultural, recreational and sports
facilities. The only entertainment is watching TV series for
\1/2\ or 1 hour in the evening when production quotas are not
too heavy. No books at all, very few newspapers, no
broadcasts to listen in to. Complete cultural and press
blockade. For me, there is something more: correspondence
blockade, as I receive and mail almost no letters.
The artificial flowers we make are for export. The trade
marks are in English, the prices in USD (see appendix). Even
the company commander and the quarry director said the
flowers are made in cooperation with a Hong Kong company that
exports them. This is in serious violence of international
human rights norms, international law, even the Chinese
government's law.
As a matter of fact in the recent decade and more all
products turned out by LR, RTL and detention facilities in
Guangdong Province are almost exclusively for export (usually
in cooperation with Hong Kong and Taiwan companies). For
instance, Huanghua Detention Center in Guangzhou, at least
since 1989, when I was there and experienced everything
myself, has been forcing detainees to make artificial
flowers, necklaces, jewelry (trade marks in English, prices
in USD). This can be testified to by anybody who was there,
including Hong Kongers.
What I testify to above is wanton trampling not only upon
international human rights norms, but upon basic humanitarian
norms as well. Here in RTL, the concept of human rights is
zero!
I am thrown into this hell because the Guangdong
authorities want to crush me spiritually and physically. This
is political retaliation and persecution.
Being in this critical situation, I have no choice but to
appeal to you. I strongly urge all progressive forces the
world over to pay close attention to human rights conditions
in China, to extend their assistance to the Chinese people
who are in an abyss of misery. I strongly appeal to
international progressive organizations to urge the Guangdong
authorities to cease persecuting me politically!
I understand that once my letter is published, I might be
persecuted even more harshly. I might even be killed. But, I
have no choice!
Thank you!
Chen Pokong.
____________________